Chapter 1: The Awakening
Kaelris City – Market District
The city of Kaelris hummed with life as the sun dipped toward the horizon, bathing the cobblestone streets in a warm, golden hue. The towering stone walls cast long shadows over the market district, where merchants barked their final offers and the air brimmed with the mingling scents of baked bread, sizzling meats, and foreign spices.
Near the edge of the market, beside the roaring heat of a blacksmith’s forge, a man stood. Tall and broad-shouldered, his dark skin gleamed with sweat under the fire’s glow. His black hair, tied into a loose ponytail, swayed in the evening breeze. In his calloused hands, he held a freshly forged blade, still glowing faintly at the edges.
Arick studied the weapon with practiced eyes. He turned it in his grip, admiring its balance, then sighed and laid it carefully on the rack.
"Another day, another blade," he muttered, voice low and gravelly. "Maybe one day, I’ll be able to use one of these instead of making them."
Across the street, a little girl tugged at her mother’s sleeve, eyes wide with awe.
“Mommy, look! That man’s so strong! He lifted that sword like it was a feather!”
Her mother pulled her close. “Don’t stare, dear. He’s… different.”
Arick heard the words, but his face remained impassive. He was used to the whispers—the sideways glances and hushed fear. It had been this way since he first arrived in Kaelris. Since the shadows had begun to follow him.
